Microsoft Scroogled Site Challenges Google Shopping Honesty

Are you getting Scroogled? What does that even mean? Microsoft wants you to believe Google Shopping is a rip-off and has dedicated Scroogled.com to explaining it all. (Hint: Bing is a much safer place to holiday shop.)

Are you getting Scroogled?

It's a word invented by Microsoft to describe what it says Google is doing to users of its Google Shopping tool: It rips them off by limiting search results to paid advertisers only. According to Microsoft, the unbiased relevance listings Google Shopping claims to provide are nothing more than paid search results listed according to dollar amount -- not by relevance to the user.

Microsoft has even created a site dedicated to calling Google out on what Microsoft argues are its deceptive search results.

The site also has a rotating banner listing quotes from Google Founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page disparaging the idea of paid search results. In a separate section on the side of the page are later quotes from Google taking the contrary position.

The site is well-designed, although a bit reminiscent of, as a colleague of mine puts it, a "diet pill and teeth whitening" ad.

From Google Shopping search results

The Scroogled site introduces you to "Google's deceptive advertising tactics" and attempts to explain why the shopping results displayed at Google Shopping only push users to merchants that have paid for positioning and placement. Scroogle's first page explains "the problem." Page two identifies "the solution:" use of Microsoft's Bing.

The taken tactic is a bit aggressive, in my opinion. Bing's search results aren't completely unbiased; and both Google and Microsoft state they clearly identify sponsored search results in the data they provide end users. In a Wednesday Techcrunch story, Microsoft claimed Google allows merchants to pay for result placement while Bing provides a true search "result." Google described itself as a great resource for shoppers to find what they need at great prices -- completely ignoring the shot that Microsoft placed across its bow.

Click for a larger image.

My recommendation: Take it all with a grain of salt. Scroogled.com is interesting and cute, but before you make any online purchase this holiday season, look around. While Google is the favorite search tool for many, including me, I like my checking account balance a heck of a lot more. Finding the best buy isn't as easy as it used to be and doing more than one search for the gifts you're looking for, via more than one search engine, just might get you the affordable buy you're looking for. Search multiple sources for the best deal you can find from the best, most reputable merchant available and you're likely to get what you want in time for the holidays.

Just because the server market's in the doldrums doesn't mean innovation has ceased. Far from it -- server technology is enjoying the biggest renaissance since the dawn of x86 systems. But the primary driver is now service providers, not enterprises.